Stouffer’s Chicken, Bacon & Spinach Flatbread

April 26, 2007 | Reviewer: Nicole

Stouffer's Chicken, Bacon & Spinach Flatbread

SRP: $3.99
Serving: 1 flatbread, 9 3/8 oz.
Calories: 640
Fat: 45%, 29g
Cholesterol: 21%, 65mg
Sodium: 41%, 990mg
Protein: 31g
Carbohydrates: 20%, 59g
Fiber: 11%, 3g

Stouffer’s says: Grilled chicken,bacon,spinach,and red onions with a creamy Alfredo sauce,topped with a blend of Italian Style cheeses

Nicole says: For months now, there have been rumors of Stouffer’s Flatbreads, a new addition to the Corner Bistro line. Well, guess what showed up at the front desk this week!

But what is a “Flatbread?” Well, according to Wikipedia, it’s a simple bread made from flattened dough, often unleavened. They’re basically talking about matzo, tortilla, papadum, and all their cousins. This is not matzo, tortilla, or papadum. It’s pizza. In this case, a white pizza. On spiced dough. In this case, basil and garlic. It’s a nice sized… flatbread.

The microwave instructions for the flatbread have a note: “For softer flatbread.” I’m sure this would come out crispier and more delicious from the oven, but there is still a crispness from the microwave, thanks to the use of the crisping tray, and perhaps also the use of the Stouffer’s box as a cooking platform. Crispy enough to break a plastic fork. Eat with your hands, or use a real, metal fork. Or if you’re stuck with a plastic fork, just hold back your Hulk-like strength, something which causes me difficulty. Cooking time is listed as 3 to 4.5 minutes. I tried 3, and the center was still cool. All was hot and melty at 4 minutes. The dough is a bit over 1/2 inch thick, maybe, with the bottom third crispy, the top two-thirds soft.

The cheese and toppings on here are plentiful helpings. There is enough cheese that even after some loss during cooking, it’s super-duper-cheesy, and it doesn’t taste like that lowfat nonsense. The Alfredo sauce doesn’t stand out in most bites under all this cheese, but still moistens the toppings nicely. Chicken pieces are tender, lean, and tasty. Bacon bits are yummy, though larger bacon pieces would make them seem less like a salad condiment. After all, who wants to think “Bac-o’s” while eating lunch? There’s also the hearty portion of dark green spinach swimming in the mix, yum.

This clearly is not Lean Cuisine - it has a generous caloric load, and about half your RDA of sodium and fat. It also happens to be a good-sized meal (I won’t be hungry in two hours,)especially when compared to other microwaveable pizza-type single servings, so that seems A-OK by me. It’s rare to find a frozen meal that clings to gourmand styling (”Corner Bistro”) and retains a hearty, rich portion of gourmet-type food rather than providing a few half-flavor bites for dieting divas. This could be a staple if the price is right.

This meal was provided to HeatEatReview.com by the Stouffer’s PR company. They’ve also provided us Lean Cuisine meals in the past.

comments

6 Responses to “Stouffer’s Chicken, Bacon & Spinach Flatbread”

S on April 26th, 2007

Wow, great review! I actually feel as though I know if I want to try the product (& I do). Horray!
Crow on April 26th, 2007

Was the previous Stouffer’s pizza also via PR distribution? Is there a Stouffer’s PR company, separate from Stouffer’s proper and/or outsourced, or a PR division within Stouffer’s?
Abi Jones on April 26th, 2007

Most of the meals we get for free are sent from a separate (and in the case of Stouffer’s, crazy-enormous-global) public relations company rather than the public relations department within the company.

There are always exceptions. Amy’s uses a smaller (not a global behemoth) company for PR as do a couple of companies who’ve recently sent us stuff we have yet to review.
Colleen on April 26th, 2007

This actually turned out really delicous looking! I love when pizza has those brown bubbles on the crust. And the inside has a very nice coloration with attractive chicken as well.
Moni on July 18th, 2007

i bought this product on an impulse buy.. mostly due to the fact that my kitchen has exploded with stuff that doesnt belong in it due to me cleaning out my car and thus limiting me to some microwave meals in the next few days. I had heard about the flatbreads and thought i’d give them a try. The first one i tried was the steak fajita.. but thats another comment. Then i tried this chicken bacon one. Absolutely delicious!!! would recommend for anyone who needs a quick meal.
Next Week: Stouffer's Corner Bistro Flatbreads | HeatEatReview.com on August 3rd, 2007

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